Dark Beginnings
by GhedahrianVampress
Summary: Many know of Mordred Darkthrop as the evil sorcerer who was obsessed with taking over the world, but very few know the whole story. He wasn't always that obsessed. There was a time when he actually cared for someone other than himself ... Find out what happens in my new fanfic, Dark Beginnings.
1. Chapter 1:

_So, me and queen-of-ice101, were ranting over on discord and we basically came up with a big backstory for Mordred Darkthrop and his family, which inspired this particular fanfic. I imagine that one of us will eventually post a rant about what we came up with on tumblr or something. Anyway, I've been wanting to write about Mordred for a while now, seeing as there is a lack of fanfics about him. I've only ever seen one, and that just won't do, so I created another! I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Hidden deep within the Wildwoods, and surrounded by an imposing mountain range almost all the way around, Harburg was the perfect place for those who wished to hide from the laws of kings and queens. It was a place where all were free to do as they pleased, and that was exactly what Mordred Darkthrop had hoped for in founding this new settlement. No longer would he have to worry about royal guards coming to arrest him for using his gift. There would be no one to look down on him simply because he was a part of one of the three oldest dark mage families.

The Darkthrop's had lived peacefully in the city of Peliad on the continent of Eldrion for many centuries, practising their dark arts without hindrance. Eventually, a foreign ruler, the Empress of Tyobi, decided that she wasn't content with merely ruling the desert region, and so she sent her army to conquer every bit of land on the continent. The Empress quickly began implementing strict laws, telling people what they could and could not do.

Many of the older families of Peliad were outraged by this, and wanted nothing to do with this foreign ruler. Mordred, being among those who were unhappy with the new laws, gathered all those who agreed to follow him, and sailed across the sea to the mainland, where they went in search of a new home. Eventually they found an abandoned village called Ravenwood, and seeing as there was no life to be found anywhere in the surrounding area, they decided to claim it for themselves.

Mordred smirked with satisfaction, pushing a stray strand of his long curly black hair out of his face, as he watched the carpenter's and stonemason's build what he liked to think of as his empire. If everything went according to his will, and he was sure that it would, Harburg would one day grow into a great and powerful city, rivaling all those other cities like Thais and Candar. Unfortunately, he knew that it would take a long time for that to happen. At current the village consisted of a few pathetic looking log shacks, and a couple of manor's that were still in the process of being built for the noblest families.

Then there was his home, which had been the first to be built. Instead of having a manor built for himself, he opted for something a bit more ... awe-inspiring. Darkthrop Keep was tall, towering over every other building, and intimidating, decorated with terrifying gargoyles to keep unwanted visitors away. Everyone in the village already knew that he was one of the most powerful dark mages in the world, but still he felt the need to showcase his power further.

The only thing left for him to do was continue the Darkthrop bloodline, and in order to do that, he would need to take a wife. Luckily, he already had an idea of who he wanted his bride to be. One of the noble families that had come with him to the mainland happened to have a young daughter named Lilly. She was everything that he could hope for in a wife; beautiful, charming, and came from a wealthy family which possessed the gift of magic.

To be honest, he had had his eyes set on her for a while. She always smiled when he was around, batting her long eyelashes at him. It had been that way for years now. At first, he hadn't even noticed the attention she gave him, too busy focusing on his ambitions, but one day he finally noticed her while she was dancing with a few of her friends in the garden of her family's old home in Peliad. He was mesmerized by the sight of her as she gracefully twirled and leapt about. Ever since that day, he had found that he no longer thought solely of power. It had to be love.

And so, Mordred found himself walking up the steps of the nearly finished Clockwork Mansion. He couldn't believe how nervous he actually felt … Never before in the thirty-one years that he had been alive had he felt so nervous before, and it was all because of one girl. A part of him found falling in love to be troublesome, mostly because it made him feel weak, and he hated feeling weak, but he supposed that showing a bit of weakness may be worth it if it meant he was able to marry Lilly.

Taking a deep breath, Mordred pulled on the knocker a couple of times, straightening out the wrinkles in his robe as he waited. Before long, one of the servants opened the door, and was about to say something when she realized who it was.

"Come in, m'lord," she said, quickly curtsying to him as she pulled the door open, getting out of the way.

Mordred paid absolutely no attention to the servant girl as he walked straight past her. Servants were almost absolutely useless in his opinion. They were only good for cleaning houses and doing the dirty jobs that their masters didn't want to do. How could they possibly be good for anything else? They were so weak and pathetic, unfortunate enough to have been born without magic.

"S-Shall I let my master know that you are here?" the servant girl asked timidly.

Just then, her master happened to enter the entrance hall, stepping out from his study. "There's no need, I am already aware," he said. "Return to your cleaning and let the two of us speak in private."

"As you wish, master," with another quick curtsy, she scampered out of the room and towards the kitchen.

Mordred waited until he was sure that the servant girl was out of hearing range before turning to his longtime family friend, Sir Adger Clockwork. He had never trusted servants, not because he believed they were plotting against him, for they were far too weak and useless for that, but rather he knew how much they enjoyed eavesdropping in on conversations. The next thing one knew, the servants were telling their servant friends in different households all their master's secret plots.

"What brings you to my manor, Mordred?" Adger asked. "If I had known that you were coming, I would have alerted the cook and invited you to stay for a grand feast."

"I have come with a proposition for you, which I believe shall benefit both of our households." Mordred stated.

"I see. Shall we discuss this proposition of yours over a bottle of vintage wine in the study?" Adger offered.

Mordred nodded his head. Without a word, he followed Adger into the study, shutting the door firmly behind him before taking a seat.

"Like most of the others who followed me here, I too hope to settle down and start a life of my own," Mordred began. "As you know, I am the only male of my family name, and therefore carry the responsibility of continuing the bloodline. In order to ensure the continuation of my family, I will need a wife, and it is my belief that your daughter, Lilly, would be most suitable."

Adger made no reply for the first while, as he appeared to be contemplating the offer. Mordred couldn't help but fidget in his seat. He mentally chastised himself once again for being so nervous, forcing his hands and feet to remain still as he waited for an answer.

"With all that has happened since we left Eldrion, I have failed to consider the future of my daughter. However, I doubt that I would be able to find a better husband for her than you, especially here in this foreign land," Adger replied. "I would be honored to give you my daughter as a wife."

Mordred smirked, obviously pleased by this answer. Getting to his feet, he reached out and handed him a pouch of gold, amounting to a hundred gold pennies in total. It was a bit higher than the average price when arranging a marriage, but he figured that Lilly was worth it. He had more than enough gold to be spending a bit extra on her.

"You were not kidding when you said it would be beneficial," Adger remarked. "You certainly spare no expense when it comes to getting what you want."

And so the marriage was arranged that day. The wedding would take place in three weeks time, in the nearby city of Thais, where they would stay the night before returning to Harburg. Mordred wanted to spend as little time in that city as possible, knowing that dark magic was outlawed there. He would have preferred it if they could be married in Harburg, but since they had neither priest nor a temple in the village, they had no other choice. Oh well … Mordred wasn't exactly worried. He had heard that there was a priest in Thais who would marry almost anyone, regardless of whether the couple were human, fairies, elves, or even vampires.


	2. Chapter 2:

Lilly smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Seated in front of the vanity in her bedroom, she observed her mother and maid standing behind her, brushing and braiding her long light brown hair. Dressed in a beautiful white, silk wedding dress, she couldn't help but feel as though she were a real life princess. Her father had given her a chest full of family jewels to take with her, as a sort of dowry for her husband-to-be. Of course, she had selected a few to wear on her wedding day. From her neck hung an exquisite diamond necklace, which shimmered in the light of the candlestick that stood next to her. She was sure that her friends would be in awe of her as they saw her walk down the aisle.

Her whole life she had dreamed of living a life of prestige and sophistication, married to a man who was handsome, wealthy, and influential. Mordred Darkthrop possessed all three of those traits, thus making him the ideal husband for her. Yes, he was much older than her, thirteen years older to be exact, but she didn't care about that insignificant detail at all. Most women were younger than their husbands. It was a quite well-known fact, especially in their home continent, that men fancied younger women.

She was so pleased that he had finally asked to marry her. It seemed as though it had taken him forever to do so. You see, for years she had tried to catch his eye, but try as she did, he never seemed to notice her. He was the kind of man who rarely left his home, and when he did, it was for business purposes. There was no room for distractions in his mind. Eventually she came to the conclusion that he did not even know she existed. Obviously she had been mistaken. If that were true, she would not be getting ready to marry him.

In less than an hour, she would be teleported to what many called the grandest city in Aia, Thais, where she would wed one of _the_ most powerful mages in the world. No longer would she be known as Lady Lilly Clockwork, but instead she would be known as Lady Lilly Darkthrop. She would be a part of an ancient lineage, dating back at least five-hundred years. Everyone would bow and curtsy to her when they saw her. Peasants would envy her as they saw the glittering jewels and magnificent gowns that her husband had purchased her. She could hardly wait for that to become a reality.

"There, your hair is braided and you are finally ready to go meet your husband," said her mother, as she placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Are you nervous, my dear?"

Lilly shook her head carefully, not wanting to mess up her newly styled hair. "No, I have never been more confident in my life."

Lady Clockwork looked down at her daughter with concern. Her daughter was a fine young woman, well-bred and well-educated, but a part of her couldn't help but wonder whether Lilly was truly prepared for the responsibilities that came with being a married woman. Lilly could be a bit stubborn at times, insisting that she knew everything she needed to know. There was no use in trying to reason with her. The only thing Lady Clockwork could do was hope and pray to the goddess that her daughter wouldn't suffer too terribly in the process of facing the not-so-glamorous realities of life.

"If you have nothing further to say to me, we should be on our way," Lilly stated, rising from her seat and turning to start out of the room. "We don't want to miss our portal to Thais."

"Only that you look beautiful, my dear daughter," she said, and without further ado, Lady Clockwork followed after her daughter, keeping an eye on the train of her gown to ensure it didn't snare on anything and rip.

Lilly held her head high as she descended the staircase of her father's home. The servant girls could only stare, and the servant boys could only drool as she passed them. She doubted that her husband-to-be would show such a reaction, but she hoped that he would compliment her at least once. She enjoyed having people admire her for her beauty. You could say that she was a bit vain in that regard.

As she reached the bottom step, she was met by her father. "You are a vision of utter loveliness, Lilly," he remarked. "Mordred is sure to be pleased by you."

Lilly smiled widely, "Thank you, Father."

Just then, a dark, ominous looking portal appeared out of thin air. Everyone knew that it was the portal, sent by the groom himself, to transport his bride and her family directly to the temple where the ceremony was to take place. Mordred may have been known to be a bit mad, but that didn't mean he was incapable of being a gentleman.

"Shall we go?" Adger asked, extending his arm towards his daughter.

Nodding her head, Lilly took her father's arm, and together they started through the portal, her mother following shortly after.

* * *

Mordred's golden eyes darted towards the other end of the temple as the doors suddenly opened and in strolled the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. He could hardly believe his eyes, and even tried pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Dressed completely in white, she looked like an angel in comparison to him, who looked more like a demon. Surely the gods must not have abandoned him completely. How else could he have possibly been so fortunate. Usually Mordred was not a religious man, but even he couldn't deny that he felt as though he had been blessed.

The organist began to play as Lilly slowly made her way up the aisle, every eye in the room on her. Soon enough, she reached the end, and her father then handed her over to Mordred, stepping back and going to take a seat with his wife.

Clearing his throat, the priest began to speak, "We are gathered here today in the city of Thais to witness the union of Mordred Darkthrop and Lilly Clockwork …"

Mordred basically tuned the priest out for most of the ceremony, focusing his attention on the radiant woman standing at his side. Everything else was a blur. It was almost as if he had placed some sort of spell on him. He managed to snap out of it briefly as the priest asked him to affirm his vow to love and cherish her, forsaking all other women.

"Aye," said Mordred.

"And do you, Lilly, take Mordred to be your wedded husband, to care for him in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"Aye," said Lilly.

"Then, I pronounce you husband and wife," the priest announced. "You may kiss the bride."

Without hesitation, Mordred reached out and took Lilly in his arms, claiming her lips in his. Cheers filled the temple as the two sealed their union with a kiss, but they paid them no attention, as Mordred abruptly swept his new wife off her feet and hurried out of the temple with the intention of taking her straight back to the inn, where he had registered for them to stay the night in their best room. He wasn't quite sure whether he was eager to get out of the temple, or if he was just eager to start the honeymoon. However, he had a feeling it was the latter.


	3. Chapter 3

Lilly scowled as she looked down at herself, unable to see her feet underneath her huge, swollen belly. Over seven months along in her pregnancy, she both looked and felt enormous. As of lately, the mirror was something that she had come to avoid. Every time she happened to glance at herself in it she would be horrified. Her husband claimed that she looked just fine, but she didn't agree. In her mind, pregnancy had made her look ugly. She hated almost every single part of it. However, there was one thing that reassured her and motivated her to keep on fighting through it, and that was the idea of actually being a mother.

She could hardly wait for the day to come when she would have an adorable little baby to hold in her arms. Her imagination was coming up with all sorts of wonderful things she could do with her baby. She could cuddle it, and kiss it, and proudly show it off to her friends and family, and when it got a bit older, she could dress it up in adorable little outfits and style its hair and do its makeup, if it was a girl, that is. Obviously, she wouldn't force her son to wear makeup.

To be honest, she wasn't a hundred percent sure whether she wanted a boy or a girl. A part of her wanted a daughter to dress up, but a part of her wanted a son. After all, Mordred would need a son to continue the family name. Most people across Aia had accepted matriarchy, as it seemed to be slowly becoming more and more popular, but Mordred was one of the few who hadn't. He believed that it was only right for men to be the head of the family.

Lilly rather liked the idea of a woman being able to rule as Queen in her own right, but she knew better than to voice her opinions. The last time she had dared to do so, her father had yelled at her, warning her that if she ever spoke such nonsense again, she would be punished. That memory was permanently ingrained in her mind, and every time she remembered it, she couldn't help but shiver.

Mordred hadn't told her which he would rather prefer. To be honest, Mordred had paid little attention to her since she announced that she was pregnant. It was almost as if he didn't care. Lilly felt rather discomforted by this. She had thought that her husband would be at least somewhat pleased, or proud. After all, most men wanted an heir as soon as possible. However, it seemed that was not the case with Mordred.

Now, it wasn't that he was being cruel to her or anything. He wasn't the most affectionate man in the world, but he still had his ways of showing her that he did care about her. Every morning at breakfast, he would come into the dining room, tell her she looked beautiful, grab a small loaf of bread, and leave again. Then, every night, once she was already in bed, he would come and give her a quick kiss on the head before climbing into bed himself. Although, she was usually too tired to pay much attention, or make any reply. That was another thing she disliked about pregnancy. She was always tired!

Lilly had learned fairly early on in their marriage that she had to find her own entertainment. Mordred was often busy, either doing whatever it was he did up in his study at the very top of the tower, or out in the village overseeing all the building projects that were being started. As you can probably guess, she didn't see much of her husband except for meal times and at night when they retired to bed. She missed him.

She had to admit that she did feel a little lonely. In all her fantasies she had always imagined marriage as this wonderful lifestyle where the husband was showering his wife with praises and gifts and was always paying attention to her, but she realized not that was not reality, and it was because of her loneliness that she was looking particularly forward to having her baby. Then she wouldn't be alone all the time.

At current, she was on her way to go see the nursery, which had just recently been completed. She had hoped to convince Mordred to go see it with her, but he wasn't even home at the moment, and so, she had to go by herself. She sighed. Her only hope was that her husband would start paying more attention once the baby actually arrived. Surely he wouldn't ignore his own child … would he?

* * *

Mordred was beginning to like the land he had chosen for his village more and more with every passing day. Each day that he explored the surrounding forest, he discovered intriguing dark secrets. One of his discoveries in particular proved to be most valuable. Just a few miles southwest of Harburg, hidden from clear sight by a thicket of trees, he had found a strange and mysterious cave entrance.

He couldn't quite explain it, but for some reason he felt drawn to it, and so, he stepped through, and conjuring a small fire blast in his hand for light, he began to wander down into what appeared to be an ancient catacomb. There were a few private tombs, most of which were locked up tighter than a drum, but aside from that, there were a few skeletons scattered about and that was it.

As he wandered deeper and deeper into the catacomb, he stumbled upon a chamber that was filled with more death and decay than he had ever seen. Scattered along the sides of the chamber were piles and piles of dead bodies, some newer and some older. Fortunately for him, death had never frightened him, and so he was able to approach the piles without any hesitation.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that from what he could see, all the bodies had two puncture marks on their necks. It didn't take him long to figure out that he was in vampire territory. That was when he noticed that one of the skeletons was moving.

"Death certificate, please" said the skeleton, as he hobbled forward, reaching a bony hand out towards Mordred.

Mordred furrowed a brow at the skeleton. He had read in one of his books that some skeletons were able to rise from their graves and live as part of the undead, but he had never seen such a creature with his own two eyes.

"I'm afraid I don't have one. I'm quite alive." Mordred told him. "Why would you want my death certificate anyway?"

"Our Queen has made it a law that no one can pass this point without a death certificate," the skeleton explained. "It's to ensure the safety of her subjects."

A queen? Mordred had read legends of a legendary vampire queen once. He didn't remember exactly what the book had said about her, but it had something to do with a powerful relic to destroy demons. He remembered being interested in the story and did further research on it, but gave up when he discovered that the relic had been destroyed.

"Seeing as you are not dead, I must ask you to leave immediately," the skeleton declared.

Mordred retreated back through the catacomb, and as he did so, he realized that the people of Harburg would eventually need a place to bury their dead. Death was inevitable for humans, and even though he didn't particularly like the idea of dying, he wasn't about to fight against it. He wasn't _that_ desperate to preserve his life. At least, not yet.

He spent a bit more time in the catacombs, exploring every nook and cranny. The catacomb wouldn't be able to accommodate everyone's corpses, but perhaps it could work for the noblest families that had accompanied him. It could be a reward for those who had gained the most favor with him, leaving the less fortunate to start a graveyard and bury their dead there.

With a small smirk, Mordred finally returned above ground. His mind was filled with so many ideas to make his empire great. The only problem was figuring out how to make them all real. However, he wasn't concerned. He would find a way, probably somehow involving magic. In his mind, magic held a solution to everything. If one trained and reached his or her full potential, that person could do anything. His love for magic overwhelmed him at times, and although he considered that a good thing, it wasn't always good to others, for that was where his madness stemmed from.


	4. Chapter 4

Lilly was relieved to see that her husband wasn't ignoring their child as she had feared. On the contrary, he seemed quite attached to her. She couldn't remember ever seeing him so happy as he was when he had their little daughter in his arms. It had been a little over a month since Lilly had given birth to a baby girl. There was an ancient tradition that the mother be allowed to name the daughters, while the father named the sons, and so Lilly chose to give her daughter the name Willow. It was a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.

She was so happy to have the baby out of her body. For the last month of pregnancy, she had been confined to bed for the most part, unable to move without help because she was so huge and heavy. While her body was gradually starting to shrink back to its normal size, she still had a lot of weight to lose before she was completely back to normal, and until that happened, she was determined not to leave the tower. Although most of her family had seen her while pregnant, her friends hadn't, and she didn't want them to. Besides, it was customary for new mothers to stay out of public for a period of time until they had fully recovered from the birth.

Her mother had helped her greatly during the pregnancy, and had prepared her for many things, but there was one thing that no one could have ever prepared her for, and that was the pain of childbirth. It was, without a doubt, the most painful thing she had ever experienced. She was deeply relieved that it was over, but wasn't exactly sure if she wanted to go through the same thing ever again. Deep down, she knew she most likely would have to eventually. She needed to give Mordred an heir, a male heir, but she tried not to think of that for the time being. For the time being, her husband seemed content with their daughter, and so was she.

So far, Willow was a wonderful baby. She didn't cry terribly much, only when she was hungry or needed to be changed, which was a miracle. Lilly knew that her mother hadn't been so fortunate with both herself and Geoffrey, her older brother, when they were babies. Apparently they had both been particularly fussy. It made sense, seeing as Lilly was still fussy to a certain degree.

As soon as Lilly had finished fastening her corset, which she had recently started wearing again in an effort to get her lovely figure back, she stepped out of the bedroom and walked down the hall and into the nursery. She loved how it had been decorated. The room felt so cozy and comforting, unlike the rest of the tower, which was usually dark and depressing. There wasn't a lot of furniture in the room, only the pieces of furniture that were necessary. In the corner of the room was a wooden rocking chair, and against the north wall was a table for changing Willow, and then there was the beautiful white silk bassinet.

Leaning over the side of the bassinet, Lilly reached in and picked up the little bundle swaddled in a soft wool blanket, holding her close. "Hello there, my little angel," she cooed to the baby. "Mommy loves you so much, and even though he doesn't like showing it when anyone else is around, I know your Daddy loves you too."

Baby Willow gurgled in reply.

Lilly smiled as she placed a gentle kiss on her daughter's forehead. At least one of her dreams had come true. Even though she didn't have the overly affectionate husband that she had always wanted, she was pleased to at least have a daughter to cuddle and coo. It had added new meaning to her life, and also taught her a lesson or two. As a mother, she could no longer think solely of herself, and that was something that she was still struggling to come to terms with. There were still moments when she still thought like the spoiled girl who wanted everything, but she was trying to be less selfish. That's all she could really do.

* * *

Mordred silently tiptoed down the tower halls, making as little noise as possible to ensure that no one heard him. There was a good reason for this … well, more like two … You see, he had promised his wife to actually sit and have lunch with her for once, but a meeting had been called all of a sudden, requiring his attendance. Some of the nobles wanted a wall to be built around the village to ensure that nothing attacked them and their families. Apparently someone had spotted an ogre nearby and were now terrified. Mordred rolled his eyes. If only they could remember that they had magic, and therefore were capable of defeating the ogre for themselves.

The second reason he was sneaking around was because he didn't want anyone to notice as he quickly snuck over to check up on his little dark princess, for that was what she was to him. Initially he had intended to remain as distant from his child as possible, fearing that she might just get in the way of his plans, or do something to sabotage it. However, the moment he laid eyes on his daughter, he knew that would be impossible for him to do.

Approaching the nursery door, he stopped for a moment to listen and see if there was anyone else inside. When he failed to hear anything, he pushed open the door and slipped inside. He wasn't at all surprised to find Willow fast asleep. Willow Darkthrop. It wasn't exactly the name he would have chosen for his little princess of darkness, oh no, he would have chosen something much more regal and powerful sounding, but he accepted that it wasn't his choice to choose. Lilly was the one who would give birth to his children, and so he figured she deserved the right to at least name one of them herself. He would be able to name his son ... If he ever had a son… He wasn't exactly sure how he felt about having a son. Sons often tried to steal their father's power … just like he had …

Not wishing to disturb his sleeping daughter, he merely stood and watched her. She was beautiful, just like her mother. The resemblance she bore to Lilly was uncanny. The only visible attributes she had inherited from him were his golden eyes. He had been told that most babies eyes were blue at birth, and then changed as they got older, but Willow was different. She had been born with golden eyes, just like him.

He was proud to have passed his infamous eyes down to her. People would fear and respect her for her eyes. She would never be in danger, but not just because of her eyes. She was powerful. He could sense it already. Not only did she possess the gift of magic, but it was dark magic. That was why he called her his princess of darkness. He was so proud to have created her. He could tell that she was destined for greatness.

"Sleep well, my dear," he whispered. "May you dream of the wonderfully chaotic world I plan to create for the two of us."

And with that, he slowly retreated out of the room and continued on his way, sneaking out of the tower and off to the meeting.


End file.
